Exploring Everyday Streets
Chapter 12:
Reclaiming streets for people in urban India
Deepti Adlakha
One key target of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 11.7) is to provide universal access to safe and inclusive public spaces – particularly for women, children, older adults and persons with disabilities – by 2030. In Mumbai, India, there are just 1.28 sq. metres of public space per person, far below London’s 31.68 sq. metres and New York’s 26.4 sq. metres. India’s chaotic, cacophonous and colourful streets host a diverse array of sociocultural exchanges – informal marketplaces, spontaneous gatherings, festivals, and everyday interactions – while battling a sharp rise in traffic congestion, road injuries and carbon emissions. This chapter documents the transformation of a car-centric shopping district into a people-friendly promenade in Chennai, India.
About Deepti Adlakha
Deepti Adlakha is Lecturer in Planning at Queen’s University Belfast. She is an interdisciplinary scientist with a varied educational background including degrees in architecture, urban design and public health.